In today’s Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo review, we’ll focus on a specific product from Dune HD. The Pro Vision 4K Solo pro is a new update to their HD Realbox-4K and Pro-4K II.
Opting for the product is a smart idea since. That’s because later, you’ll likely find that integrated media players in your LCD TV aren’t good enough.
Plus, they may not really be powerful enough to play your whole 4K media library. Or, they just don’t provide you with the best video quality that you deserve.
The Pro Vision 4k Solo is a huge upgrade, and it’s based on the current Realtek RTD-1619DR. It’s a feature that fully supports Dolby Vision content which is great.
If you’re finding this interesting and considering it for purchase, continue reading our Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo review. Get information about the product’s design, functions, features, and a lot more.
Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo Packaging
Before looking deeper into the product, our Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo review will discuss its packaging and inclusions.
When the product arrived, we noticed that Dune HD, once again, opted for a blue and white theme. It’s a good choice since the combination of colours is pleasing to the eyes.
The front portion of the box features an image of the product, its name, the company’s logo, and its features. On the sides, you’ll find additional images of the HD Pro Vision 4K Solo. Though on the right side of the box, you’ll also find a list of the included accessories in the package.
Flipping the box, you’ll find more details like the features and specifications laid out on the box’s rear. There are also other images present that display the HD Pro Vision 4K Solo’s connectors.
Inside, the company made sure to wrap the player in a thick and protective synthetic cover to prevent damages. Then, they opted to set it in a formed foam piece. Other inclusions are set in another cardboard container to keep everything organised.
Together with the player, you’ll also find an infrared remote, a Bluetooth remote, plus four AAA batteries. There’s a 12V 3A power supply, a PC power cord EU plug, an HDMI cable, and a quick installation guide.
Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo Review – Design and Functionality
We also checked the design, build, and functions of the player for our Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo review. First, its case is made of brushed aluminium and measures 215 x 174 x 71mm (W x L x H). It’s a nice and compact media player but Dune HD didn’t cramp everything mindlessly on it which is great.
The front portion of the player is where you can find a button, the VFW screen, and an activity LED. Then, there are IR sensors, a USB 2.0 port, and Dune HD’s logo. Shifting to the right portion, you’ll see the 3.5” internal rack door.
Rotating the enclosure, you’re going to find three antenna ports, an S/PDIF optical output, and RCA composite connectors. There’s an HDMI audio output, HDMI v.2.0 input, v2.0b output, and an IR extension port. Of course, you’ll also find the USB 2.0, GbE LAN, USB 3.1, and USB 3.2 Type-C port.
Lastly, this area holds the on/off switch and the DC in as well.
Under the player, there are four rounded plastic rubber feet on each side. All of these are fixed to the enclosure with the help of a single screw. You can decrease the player’s height if you want, and all you need to do is remove the feet.
Remote Controls for the Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo
To note in our Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo review, Dune HD included two remote controls for use. As we’ve mentioned earlier, these are the Bluetooth remote and IR remote.
The latter is a full-sized premium remote that features backlight and a learning function as well. This lets you configure the remote to make it work with TVs and other devices you have.
Then, the Bluetooth remote is a compact piece that sports the AirMouse function and integrated mic.
Key Features of the Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo
Let’s find out what makes this product unique compared to other media players on the market by discussing its features.
RTD-1619DR Media Processor
The latest RTD-1619DR processor is an advanced and powerful media processor from Realtek that has Dolby Vision support. And Dune HD added this to their Pro Vision 4K Solo which makes it a good product to have.
HDMI Output Ports on the Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo for Convenience
It comes with two output ports that lets you get the best audio and image quality in different scenarios. An example is when utilising an HDR/4K TV and an AV receiver without the need for HDR/4K support.
Dolby Vision and HDR10+
The Pro Vision 4K Solo supports HDR technology and the advanced Dolby vision and HDR10+ technologies. In conventional HDR technology, the brightness at the beginning of the film is set and doesn’t change. That’s why the extremely bright or dark scenes have insufficient detail.
The latest Dolby Vision and HDR10+ technologies offer a varied brightness range for different frames. As a result, you get the maximum picture detail even in scenes with only light or only dark elements.
Dolby Vision VS10 Video Processor
Dolby Vision VS10 is a video processing engine that guarantees maximum image quality. It doesn’t matter whether the content and video output signal is Dolby Vision, HDR, or SDR.
Also, it improves conversion quality and reduces posterisation or banding effect of advanced 12-bit video processing. It’s a beneficial technology, especially when using older TVs that don’t support Dolby Vision.
Dolby Vision ISO / Folder Structures Playback
The Pro Vision 4K Solo supports direct playback of movie ISO / folder structures in MEL and FEL formats. It utilises and transmits the extended Dolby Vision information to the TV to improve the image quality. That’s all thanks to Dune HD’s unique video playback and output engine.
Dune HD’s products are the only hybrid network media players in the world that can combine functionality and support. Specifically, it’s support for Android apps and internet video services in one device.
Wide Support for Dolby Vision Formats
Dolby Vision is supported for all the current file formats, and that also goes for every popular Dolby Vision profile. The Pro Vision 4K Solo supports the biggest number of variations of Dolby Vision formats compared to other similar products.
Support for YouTube 4K HDR and VP9 Profile 2
The Pro Vision 4K Solo supports the old VP9 and the latest VP9 profile that now supports HDR. The latter is also used in Youtube to play 4K HDR content.
Equipped with a 77% Faster CPU and 50% Faster GPU
With the six-core ARM A55 processor, the Pro Vision 4K Solo is 77% faster than the previous four-core ARM A53. Aside from the CPU, it also equips the new Mail-G5 which is 50% faster than the previous GPUs.
4GB RAM for Boosted Performance
The Pro Vision 4K Solo has 4GB RAM which is two times bigger compared to the older media players around. Plus, it offers optimised performance for the heaviest and most demanding apps around.
Flicker-free Frame Rate and Resolution Switching
The company’s media players have their own advanced flicker-free feature for auto frame rate plus resolution switching. It performs video mode switches even before the beginning of file playbacks.
Keep in mind that a lot of the Realtek-based players perform the switch after the beginning of file playback. This usually causes instances of unpleasant flickering.
Auto Frame Rate and Resolution Switching for Android Applications
Dune HD’s media players are the only ones based on the Realtek media processor. With that, the media player allows automatic frame rate and resolution switching for file playback and Android apps. It also supports all framerates, including 23.976 and 24.0.
Advanced Controls for Video Output Parameters
With the advanced setup controls, pro users and installers can optimise the video output parameters for a specific setup. Specifically, you can configure the chroma subsampling modes that will be used for each HDMI video mode. And, these controls aren’t available in competing media player units.
Optimised Cooling
The Pro Vision 4K Solo comes with a silent fan for better HDD cooling. With it, you can easily and conveniently switch the player on/off using the button located on the front panel.
Hands-on with the Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo
The media processor used for the product is a Realtek RTD-1619DR. It comes with an operating memory of 4GB while the flash memory is 32GB.
WiFi available is a dual-band 2.4 + 5GHz 802.11 b/g/n/ac 2T2R. Plus, it comes with two external WiFi antennas. It’s also integrated with Bluetooth 5.0 and has a separate external Bluetooth camera.
We like that it has passive and active cooling plus a silent fan for effective HDD cooling. There’s also a front panel multi-segment display in the HH: MM: SS format.
The Pro Vision 4K Solo uses an external DC 12V (3A) | AC 100 – 200V power supply. And, it works with the Linux-based Dune HD OS + Android 9.0 operating system.
Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo Connectivity
Available media sources include an internal HDD SATA, external HDDs, and a number of USB devices. The latter includes a USB flash drive, card reader, and more. It comes with external optical USB disc drives, PC & NAS in local networks, and other internet + local network media sources.
Its 3.5″ SATA HDD rack directly attaches to the media player. The USB-C host lets you connect the latest USB-C storage devices. For the USB 3.1 host, it’ll let you enjoy the outstanding performance of USB 3.1.
Then, the two USB 2.0 hosts let you connect USB HDDs, card readers, and flash drives. That also goes for USB hubs and other USB devices.
Then, the presence of the HDMI 2.0b output lets you output any video signal. What’s nice about it is that it goes up to the latest 4Kp60 HDR around.
The 2nd audio-only HDMI outputs audio separately by using the second HDMI output when necessary. And for its RCA composite video +analogue stereo audio, they can connect to any AV equipment.
Additionally, the product has coaxial and optical S/PDIF and Ethernet 10|100|1,000 MB/s. These are necessary to guarantee outstanding performance when connecting to the network via cable.
Lastly, for the connectivity portion of the Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo review, it sports an HDMI 2.0 input. You’ll even find an IR input and a 12V DC power input as well.
Media Playback
When it comes to media playback, the player sports the 4K Dolby Vision & HDR10+ video playback and video output.
Dune HD integrated the HEVC to let you play videos encoded with the newest H.265 codec. This will give you two-times the picture quality that H.264 gives.
Also, it comes with the VP9 profile 2, 10-bit colour encoding, HDR + HDR10, and an auto video output frame rate. It’s also good that it allows for manual use at 23.976 Hz support. Plus, auto video resolution output is present as well.
We appreciate that they included Dolby Vision’s current HDR technology, the VS10 engine, plus Dolby Vision’s standard output.
Other media playback specs include true 24p output and flicker-free auto resolution/framerate switching. The latter lets you easily do HDMI video mode switching right before playback starts.
There’s also an advanced media player where you can play videos in MKV or other current video file formats. These include top-quality 4K and HD with extremely high bit rates (100 MB/s+).
Video formats it works with include MPEG-TS, MKV, MPEG-PS, M2TS, AVI, VOB, MOV, MP4, ASF, QT, WMV, ISO, and folders. For video codecs, it works with MPEG2 and 4, XVID, VC1, WMV9, H.264, H.265 and H.265 10-bit. It’s also good with VP9 and VP9 profile 2 while supporting high bitrate videos of up to 100 MB/s+.
With 3D video, you can utilise the product to play 3D video formats. These include MVC, top-and-bottom, and side-by-side.
HD Audio and Subtitles for the Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo
The Pro Vision 4K Solo delivers hi-end music from different audio formats including 192/24, Monkey’s Audio APE, etc. Super audio CD is also available, and it can play top-notch SACD music files in different formats.
The audio codecs it works with include MPEG 1/2 layer I/II/III, LPCM, AAC, FLAC, and multichannel FLAC. Vorbis, APE, WavPack, ALAC, SACD DSD, DTS, and AC3 work well with it too.
When it comes to the audio formats, it’s compatible with MP3, M4A, MPA, AAC, FLAC, WAV, and ALAC. APE, Vorbis/Ogg, WavPack, SACD ISO, SACD DFF, SACD DSF, AC3, DTS-WAV, and DTS.
The Dune Menu
We first had to familiarise ourselves with the product’s menu layout. It actually takes some getting used to even if the interface was intuitive enough.
When we first saw it, we noticed the number of icons available compared to most players. And the thing here is, these icons aren’t really that useful for everything.
Though we appreciate that a lot of the items here can either be suppressed or expanded.
Generally, the Pro Vision 4K Solo is a lean and mean machine. It’s packed with essential features for video, music, and picture playback.
Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo Performance
During our tests, it was impossible not to notice the difference in image quality with the Pro 4K II model. The Pro Vision 4K Solo produced smooth playback with a couple of media that the other player had problems with.
So yes, throughout the whole time we used it, we enjoyed a smooth and seamless experience with our viewing. All images were crystal clear and had vivid colours.
Also, we didn’t encounter any issues while using it, so it’s one of the best media players we’ve used. With that, we’d definitely recommend the Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo to you.
Dune HD Pro Vision 4K Solo Review Summary
Like its predecessors, the Pro Vision 4K Solo delivers excellent video and audio quality. But aside from that, what else does it have to offer?
It’s rich in features, has a wide range of applications, and a 3.5” internal rack. Plus, it offers stable Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity. What makes it better is it comes with two remote controls, so you won’t need a mouse.
Overall, the 4K Pro Vision Solo is the best media player today. There are other products with similar specifications, but nothing beats this option from Dune HD.
If you want this media player for your home entertainment, you can purchase it from Dune HD’s official site.